Bible Reading Plan 2017

This morning I finished my 2016 Bible Reading Plan. I have had the discipline of reading through the Bible every year since 2000. Sixteen times I have read through the Bible in a year, and I am planning on doing the same in 2017.

I have followed a similar format each year. I use three daily readings, two from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. This gives my reading variety. I have used the One Year Bible and more recently have used Logos Bible Software to generate a custom reading plan.

This year I will once again use a Logos Bible reading Plan called 365-Day Connect the Testaments. You can download a copy of it in Excel or PDF format. There is also a supplemental devotion guide for this reading plan that can be found on Amazon.

I want to invite you to join me in this great endeavor. If this is something new for you, you might consider reading through the New Testament alone this year and skipping the Old Testament. The goal is NOT to read through the Bible each year. The goal is to CONNECT with God on a daily basis. Give yourself a Bible reading plan that is manageable that will help you succeed in that goal of developing a deeper and more intimate relationship with God.

I want to encourage you to take some time to reflect upon what you read. Take some time to journal your thoughts. I do my daily readings on my iPhone or iPad and use the Day One Journal App to write down my thoughts. When I journal, I will also reflect upon other things which I have read along with doing my daily planning.

I have a journaling format that I have borrowed and revised from Michael Hyatt. The format is as follows:

Reading and Reflection

What did I do yesterday?

What did I read recently?

What lessons did I learn?

Gratitude

What am I thankful for right now?

How am I feeling right now?

Planning

What are my plans for today?

What one thing must I accomplish today?

For a long time, I used a journaling format borrowed from Wayne Cordiero’s book, The Divine Mentor. This journaling format singularly focused on the Scripture. It used the acronym SOAP. SOAP stands for:

Scripture (write down what you read)

Observation (write down unique observation you had)

Application (what do you need to start doing or stop doing)

Prayer (share with God what is on your heart)

The specific how-tos are not as important as doing it. I hope this all gives you some food for thought. Developing a daily discipline is about putting one foot in front of the other and creating movement and momentum. You will not always feel like doing it, but you do it anyway. There will be times that it seems like this practice is not worthwhile, but over time you will begin to see the fruit. God’s blessings in the new year.